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Cost for Gas & Electric

We just updated the utility usage information for our houses (10-2012). We see that the electric bills are higher than the gas bills in all cases. The price of gas is declining. We think that the increased use of multiple computers, TVs, cable boxes and gaming consoles that are left on 24 hours a day is increasing electrical consumption.

If you want to manage your utility costs, power down anything you are not using and turn off lights. Use energy efficient bulbs. Close your windows in the winter. Use the storm windows in your house during the winter. Call us if you need help with that.

Utilities Contact Information

Tenants are responsible for turning on all utilities. Please call the utility companies at least two weeks before your scheduled move in date or you could be without power.

Terms of Use

This website is provided to present information about University-Places off campus student rental housing. The information on this site is maintained, however, please call to verify all prices, availabilities and details.

A sample lease is provided for you to review. Please read your lease before signing as the details will be modified for your rental arrangement.

University Places Wants you to Get ALL your Security Deposit Back

A little common courtesy and respect will go a long way.

Want to get all your Security Deposit back? Read this!

We enjoy fixing up our houses to make them look better. We also understand that accidents do happen and occasionally things get broken. No problem! Please call us when repairs are needed and we’ll take care of them as soon as possible.

When repairs are the result of old age or other house malfunctions, of course there is no charge. But broken windows, clogged drains due to tampons, stuck garbage disposals due to beer caps, holes in the wall due to excessive merriment – hey, we-re going to send you the bill and deduct if from your security deposit. Fair enough?

Here are typical charges that you might want to be aware of (prices subject to change):

1. Removal of trash and debris left after move-out: $50/bag. Got Junk haul away can cost well over $673. Make sure to take all of your belongings when you move out.

2. Removing sticky tape, “moon and stars,” poster tack, etc. results in us having to prime and re-paint the wall, typically at $150/wall.

3. Large holes in walls, broken windows, and other obvious damage at labor cost plus materials.

4. Re-painting rooms from colorful expressions of teen angst back to the neutral and peaceful tones of Birch White are at labor cost plus materials.

5. Garbage disposal and drain clogs. Often we’ll do the first one for free. But if we keep removing beer caps, too much food, broken glass, etc. we’ll have to charge you. Typically it’s $50 per call.

6. Sewer clean-outs: There is a very high correlation between the flushing of tampons and major problems with sewer back-ups. If we have to snake out the main sewer line and we pull back even one of these beauties, we’ll be charging you for the sewer clean-out which starts at $210.

7. Locked out of your room or house? Call us and we can let you in. It’s free during the day unless we need too call the back-up crew, and $50 after hours. Also, changing the locks will result in huge locksmith fees. Call us if you have a problem.

8. Be careful to keep the utilities on when you leave for winter or summer break! If you turn the heat off during winter and the pipes freeze and burst, you’ll be getting a bill in the thousands of dollars. If you leave and turn the electricity off in the summer and have food in the refrigerator and the neighbors call us to inspect for a dead body because it smells so bad, you’ll be getting a bill for cleaning or buying a new refrigerator (several hundred dollars).

9. If you find your couch missing from the front porch one day after we have told you to remove it, also expect to get a bill for hauling it away. There is a city ordinance against interior furniture on front porches because it is a fire hazard. Also no Tiki torches, lighter fluid, charcoal grills, etc. any where near the house. If we find that these items contributed to the cause of your house catching on fire, resulting in a “wall of flame that we ran from, jumped out the back windows, and finally watched the house burn down while the Ann Arbor Fire Department did its best to keep the neighboring houses from catching on fire as well,” you’ll be hearing from our insurance agent and lawyers.

10. If you have a party and have so many people dancing to the same beat that it sets up a catastrophic natural frequency and exceeds the load carrying limits of the living room floor, resulting in a large cracking sound signifying massive structural failure of all the supporting floor joists and further resulting in a mass exodus from the house of said party attendees, you’ll be getting a bill from our carpenter.

11. Girls, If your mother calls your cell phone to say “hi” and is unable to talk to you but instead hears moaning sounds, and she then feels compelled to call 911 because she thinks you are having trouble breathing, and later the police and the fire department break down your apartment door but find no one at home (because you are at a “conference”), we will gladly repair your door and send you the bill for the damages. We will let you explain these charges to your mother.

12. Want to install your own room air conditioner? If you don’t get the angle correct condensate (water) will drip into your room, through the floor to the ceiling below causing the plaster to dissolve, resulting in a huge hole somewhere in the ceiling. Cost to repair and repaint the ceiling $250.

Or maybe the water will pool on your floor, rotting the carpet causing a noxious odor that makes your roommates think you’re still a bed wetter. New carpet can cost $412.97 or more.

I know, many of the above seem unbelievable, but they are all actual events that have happened and have resulted in deductions from security deposits.

Maintenance and EMERGENCY Requests Information

To place a maintenance request, send an email to lana@university-places.com giving a clear description and exact location of the problem.

By sending an email you are authorizing a University Places maintenance representative to enter your house to perform the repair requested.

To better serve you please include all information below:

House Address

Email Address

Name

Phone Number

Describe the repairs needed

If you feel your maintenance problem is an emergency, immediately call us.

For further information read below.

If you are in a fire or medical emergency situation call 911.

What is considered a maintenance emergency? The following are a few examples of what is considered an emergency:

No heat.

Locked out of our your unit and it 20 degrees below zero . $100 fee for all lock out calls.

Exterior door lock doesn’t work.

Severe water leak (Please attempt to shut off water to that location and/or contain the water leak).

Ann Arbor Water Department is case you need a street shut off is (734) 994-2666.

No electrical service (check circuit breaker or fuse panel prior to calling).

Sewer back up. If you feel you have a back up, do not use any water anywhere in the unit until we arrive.

Remember, this service is for true emergencies, not routine maintenance requests!

Can I be charged for maintenance?

Generally no. Routine maintenance for your residence is free. However, residents will be charged for maintenance that is required due to their neglect, i.e. coins, bottle caps, broken glass, etc. jamming the garbage disposal, clogged toilets that resident has not made an effort to plunge themselves, broken windows, doors and screens.

Plungers for Toilets

If you cannot find your plunger please call to have one delivered. Look at the plunger picture to the right. The one on the left with (the black plunger) is the kind used to plunge a toilet.

Sometimes your plunger gets turned inside out and looks like the on on the right. Turn it over and see if the inside needs to be pulled out. It won’t work well unless the inside is properly positioned.

Turn the water off first to avoid overflows.

Watch this video for how to unclog your toilet. If you need the auger, call me.

Garbage Disposals

If the garbage disposer is not working try this before calling:

Unplug the unit underneath the sink if possible.

Pull all the debris out of the garbage disposal by hand.

There is a reset button on the bottom of many disposals. Press the button.

There is a little crank that you can use to turn the disposal from the bottom. It looks like an allen wrench. Put it in the hole at the bottom of the disposal and turn the crank.

Parents, we’ve provided this online form for your convenience. If you would prefer to fill out a paper form and mail or email it to us, scroll down below this form and save toe pdf version to your computer and print it out.

Online Rental Application Form

Please fill out this form and submit it when applying to rent a house. You will need to confirm this application in your email inbox. Once confirmed your application is complete. We use this information to communicate with your during the rental process and throughout the year.

We want you to use the online form. If you can’t please let us know why and we’ll fix our form or get you a paper one.

This is the information you need to supply to rent a house. Download the form and mail it to us or hand it to us in person when you sign the lease. You can click the link above for a copy of the Lease Application Form.

9 Bedroom House

Totally Updated!!! 9-10 bedroom house for rent with 5 baths and 2 kitchens. Terrific location – three blocks from the SAB. There is brand new carpet, paint, cellular blinds, kitchen #2 new appliances, refinished hardwood floors. The house is furnished and has FREE laundry, washer and dryer, plus lots of FREE parking.

Party room in basement!

New add! Cool party room in basement with new carpet, paint and an egress window!

Rent this whole house for your 9-10 person group. It is a two unit house and can be leased together for you whole group. This house is located near Jefferson and Division, very close to the University of Michigan SAB.

Furnished

9-10 Bedrooms; one bedroom is a suite consisting of 2 rooms.

5 Baths

2 Kitchens with appliances

Free Parking

Free Laundry

This house is furnished with beds, computer desks, armories or dressers and living room furniture. Kitchens have a stove and refrigerator and one dishwasher in the house.

1st Floor – Enter in the back. There is a kitchen and a bedroom on the first floor

2nd Floor – one bedroom, full bath.

3rd Floor – full bath, 2 bedrooms and a huge living room.

Basement is shared and has an additional bath with shower and free laundry plus a party room.

1st Floor Layout

2nd Floor Layout

3rd Floor Layout

4 Bedroom Apartments

This house is a duplex consisting of 2 – 5 person occupancy units. Open one fire door between them and the whole house is yours!

Each unit in the house has four bedrooms so you can rent a four bedroom unit if you like. Basement is shared and locked off from the rest of the house and includes a washer and dryer.

Cost Of Utilities 433 Hamilton Whole House

The average cost per month for the entire house for Electricity and Gas listed below. This information comes from DTE as of 10-12-2012.

Gas: $147Electricity: $387

DTE Average per person per month (10 people) $53

Your usage may vary and can be reduced by careful use of energy. Here are some suggestions to keep utility bills low:

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Turn off light and electronics (computers) when not in use.
Close the windows and storms in the winter when the heat is on.
Have leaky faucets and toilets repaired.

Water Costs

Water averages about $12-$15 per person per month. If you have any leak get it fixed asap because it can really increase your water bill.

Shared Utilities

Utilities are shared per person for electricity and water. Gas is 50/50 for each unit.

This Ann Arbor rental house for 10 people for fall 2013. Located near the Nursing School, north of Huron St. Occupancy 10, 9 bedrooms. Furnished!

Occupancy 10

3 kitchens with appliances

5-7 free parking spots

Three floors

Study room in basement

Front porch

Free laundry

The house has been painted inside and out side, new front steps and new gutters (like you care), but we do!

This house is furnished with full and twin beds, computer desks, armories or dressers and living room furniture. All kitchens have a stove and refrigerator, and two dishwashers in the house.

This is a three unit house but students rent it as a whole house. Utilities paid by tenants.

Map of 217 N Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Cost Of Utilities 217 Ingalls Whole House

The average cost per month for the entire house for Electricity and Gas listed below. This information comes from DTE as of 10-12-2012.

Gas: $86Electricity: $263

Your usage may vary and can be reduced by careful use of energy. Here are some suggestions to keep utility bills low:

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Turn off light and electronics (computers) when not in use.
Close the windows and storms in the winter when the heat is on.
Have leaky faucets and toilets repaired.

Water Costs

Water averages about $12-$15 per person per month. If you have any leak get it fixed asap because it can really increase your water bill.

Map of 1209 E. University

Cost Of Utilities 1209 E. University

The average cost per month for the entire house for Electricity and Gas listed below. This information comes from DTE as of 10-12-2012.

DTE Gas: $76DTE Electricity: $135

Total DTE per person per month (6 people) $35

Your usage may vary and can be reduced by careful use of energy. Here are some suggestions to keep utility bills low:

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Turn off light and electronics (computers) when not in use. Close the windows and storms in the winter when the heat is on. Have leaky faucets and toilets repaired.

Water Costs

Water averages about $12-$15 per person per month. If you have any leak, call us right away to get it fixed. Slow leaks can really increase a water bill.